Ventilating ceiling construction



Oct. 1, 1957 w. M. ERlcsoN 2,807,993

VENTILAIING CEILING CONSTRUCTION 2 sheets-sheet 1 Filed Jan. 3, 1955 f 5 l f r l i 0d l, 1957 w. M. ERlcsoN VENTILAIINC CEILING CONSTRUCTION 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 3, 1955 VIls/VENTOR. W94. T52- M. EP/c son BY M, a@ Cm A fraz/VE yf RAMHHNN 'nited States.

VENTILATING CEILING CONSTRUCTIONv Walter M. Ericson, Wauwatosa, Wis., assignor to Airson Co., Inc., Wauwatosa, Wis., a corporation of Wiscousin Appiication Iianuary 3, 1955, Serial No. 479,629

8 Claims. (Cl. 98-40) The present ceiling is desirably constructed of tile, one' feature of the invention comprising retractable interlocking means which makes certain tile removable to give access to others to the end that any portion of the ceiling may be separable as desired.

More fundamentally, however, the invention is con cerned with a simple, inexpensive means invisiblevto the ordinary person usingthe room but readily accessible from beneath the ceiling to` regulate air flow through all portions of the ceiling so that draft-free movement can be tailored to the particular requirements of the installation. ln the preferred embodiment of the invention, each tile has a pattern of slots whichtaper downwardly in the cross section of the opening and at least most of which are controlled by simple, inexpensive slides rmounted on the top surface of the tile and having operating tongues depending in the slot and lserving not only to permit the slides to be operated from beneath, but also providing guidance for the slides.- The control is effected by vary-- ing the extent to which the slot in the slide, formed by stamping out the tongue, registers, or fails to register, with the slot in the ceiling; n

Through the arrangement-described, an operator can use any pointed instrument, such as a nail or an ice pick, to reach into a slot and manipulate the tongue depending from one of the slides to move'the slide to open or close that particular slot and any other controlled by the same slide. 1

In the drawings:`

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary view in-cross section through the upper portion of a room provided with a ceiling embodying the present invention. v

Fig. 2 is a view on an enlargedfscale takenvin sectio on the line 2 2 of Fig. l.

Fig. 3 is a view taken in section on the line 3--3 of Fig. 2. y

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary detail view in 10 cross section through a preferred spline 'used between tile.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary detail view of the spline in perspective. p

Fig. 6 is a view taken in section on the line l6-6 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 7 is a view in perspective showing a single tile with* portions broken away and one of the control valve slides shown in slightly raised position.

atent Fig. 8 is a view in perspective of a modified form of tile used where access to the plenum is required.

Fig. 9 is a View in perspective showing in slightly separated positions' the complementary parts of an extensible support for the modified tile of Fig. 8.

`Fig. l0 is a fragmentary detail View on an enlarged scale of the edge portion of a thin tile showing a reenforcing angle.

Fig. l1 is a fragmentary detail view in perspective of a portion of such a reenforcing angle. f

Fig. l2 is a fragmentary bottom plan View of a portion of a ceiling completed in accordance with the present invention.

The room fragmentarily illustrated in Fig. 1 comprises' tile hereinafter to be described are connected with joistelements 23 which are of l-beam cross section but are extremely lightweight, being molded of thin sheet metal as best shown in Fig. 2. The upper end portion24 of each joist snugly abuts the several channels 22. The lower portion of each joist comprises laterally projecting flanges 25 and 26 formed by folding the sheet metal upon itself, these flanges being received into kerfs 27 of the tile 30.

The joists 23 are supported by special clips 31, each of which has an opening at 32 to receive the top of the joist, the clip being slit at`33 from such opening to its lower margin to provide tongues 34 and 35 which abut the central webs of the respective joists. With the clip engaged with the joists as shown in Fig. 2, its upper end portion 36 is folded over the Stringer channel 22 to holdthe joist securely against the channel as shown in Fig. 3.

If the several tile are all assembled by sliding them into place with their respective kerfs engaged over flanges 25 of the supporting joists, access to the plenum is obtainable only by disassembling the entire ceiling or destroying one or more tile and substituting a makeshift replacement. Accordingly, it is one of the features of the invention to provide for opening the ceiling at any appropriate intermediate point. To this end, special tile 300 are provided as shown in Figs. 6 and 8, and incidentally illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3. The tile 300 has grooves 270 along two of its sides, but a shoulder 271 is exposed by opening up each groove 27 at the other two sides of the tile by removal of the portion of the tile thereabove. As best shown in Figs. 2 and 6, the exposed shoulders 271 engage the joist flanges 25 and 26 from beneath,'but the tile are not supported by engagement of any portion of the tile 300 with the upper surfaces of the respective joist flanges. Thus, but for some other means of support, 'the tile 300 would fall from its illustrated position between the joists 23 in Fig. 6 and Fig. 2. f

The supports 40 separately illustrated in Fig. 9 and shown in side elevation in Fig. 6 comprise a pair of relatively extensible angle slides 41 and 42 desirably embossed at 43 for bearing contact with each other and having depending tongues 44, 45 for their manipulation. These tongues hang down between the tile at opposite sides of the tile which is removable. p

The horizontal anges of the angle slides 41 andr42 it into the grooves 270 of the removable tile 300 at opposite sides thereof. With the slide elements 41 and 42 extended, their ends overlie anges 26, 25 of yrespective joists 23 to support the tile. When such elements are relatively retracted, their combined length is less than the space between, the anges of the joists, thereby freeing the tile -for removal. An operator grasping the depending tongues 44, 45 can readily manipulate the slides for extension or retractioln to mount the tilelltl() or to free it from support from'the langes'ot` the joist elements, as may be desired. l` v Where the supports 40 are used to carry ai removable tile 300, the adjacent mangin off tile 30 is desirably reenforced by an angle 4 7A as' best shown in Fig. 3. This is required only when the tilesy are relatively thin and it serves to keep the tileiifrom sagging by providing marginal support comparable` to that provided for tile 300 by the lapping and relatively slid'able angles` 41, 42.

For transversely interlocking thin tiles 30 at other points, a reenforcing strip 56 mayy be used.v The preferred construction is shownin Figs. 4 and 5, the strip having an embossed central rib 5,1 of substantial height and its` lateral; ilanges4 having elongated; ribs 52:Y which closely tit into the lte'rfs 2,7 0 of contiguous tile. lt will be noted that there isma'rginaly clearance above these kerfs at 53 on all-r four vsides ofA eachV of the tile (see Fig. 7) to accommodate the ribs 51- of these inserts.` v

Where very thin tilesfare used, it may also be desirable to reenforce the tile where these are cut away at the exposedh'shoulders 271-, asV shown in Fig. l0. A reenforcing strip 54 may be applied to the remaining margin of the tile and anchored-by lateral tongues 55 forced into the materialw of the tile as shown` in Figs. l and ll.

The joists betweenl the ceiling andthe side walls may be made as disclosed? in my c'op'ending` application Serial No. 256,574 or a simple piece of Aquarter'round or other molding may be used,'as shown at 56 in Fig. l, the closure atfthis point being immaterialtn tl're present invention.

In order to control airow downwardly through the ceiling ffromplerium'chamber 19, the entire ceiling 2,0 is provided at relatively short intervalsv with openings 60 and61 which desirably take the form of-elongated narrow slots downwardly tapering inc ross section, asV best shown in Fig. 2. The form andrelative sizeof-` the` 'tile or other ceiling materialfis irrelevant to this phase of-the invention, but"what`ever the size and shape of-"the tile or ceiling sheets, itis desirable that a plurality of-slots 60be aligned to be controlled by the single valvel Other slots 61 inay be left open, the ow` to these representing the minimum dw'desired, irrespective ofcontr'ol: Arissiiming that the tile are square, as shown, each maybe providedwith tive slots `comprising two pairs of aligned slots 60 and one centralgunenntrolledslot 6,1,A

The slide valve tfcomprzises` a plate ofsheet rnetal desirably havingl an upturnedflange at 66-to stillen it and` having slots at '67 spaced to registerA with the slot-like ports'i'which the valve is to control; Obviously, the number of slots in the valve plate 65v should correspondto the number of slots in the ceiling which the plate controls, two being illustrated; The metal-punched from` each of the slots 67l-is formed downwardlytolcomprise a tongue 68.- These tongues are ofsuch a'length that they cari readily be reachedfrom a point below the ceiling for the manipulation of the slide. They are of suchV a width thatat their. lower ends they tit quite closely the down-V wardly converging side surfaces of-theV ceiling slots 60,

whereby vfriction between the tongues andythe rr'ngterial` of4 the ceiling will tend to preventdisplacement-oftheslides from adjusted position. i The tit is not so tight as to preclude ready adjustment manually when a n ail or anice pickl` or a similar pointed-instrument is inserted intothe ceilingmslot 60` from below and engaged with one o f the tongues.

Two tongues engaged in slots elongated in the` desired direction of slide movement are all that` are needed for plate guidance,

ccording lto` the position to. which thetongueis manipulated in this manner, the A ports` 67 in the. slide valve 6,5 may be substantially in registry, With the port 6()` in theceilinglor may besubstantially wholly out of regis-A try with the ceiling ports. ln all movement of thc slide valve, the engagement of the tongues in a plurality of consecutive and aligned slots will guide the reciprocation of the valve to maintain it in a position Where its ports will be aligned at all times against lateral displacement with respect to ceiling ports. Thus the only way in which ceiling ports can be Opcuiid` or closed is by slide movement in a direction which is longitudinal of the ceiling slots.

As shown in Fig. l2 ,V the entiue ceiling may comprise a regular pattern of tile, all of which may,y if desired, have permanently open ports at 61 and each of which desirably has ports 6,0 in. aligned pairs, each spanned by one of the slide valves 65. Thus each such pair of ports is individually controllable by its own valve to regulate flow independently of ow through any other pairs of ports. By having each valve arranged to control at least two4 ports, guidance for its movement is assured by the controllingand guiding tongues 68. By limiting the number of ports to two, control is -much more localized than would be the ca se if longer valve slides were used to controla greaternumber of ports.

With a ceiling installed as here disclosed, air flow canbe regulated as minutely as may be desired, the individual slide valve being opened or closed to meet the requirements of the particular room in which the system is used and to maintain, regardless of obstructions or openings, a substantially uniform downward tlow of air from the entire ceiling area.

It will be understood, of course, that the air delivered into the room has to escape from it in some manner and willV ordinarily `be recirculated through return ducts in the conventional way.,

It should be noted here that theinvention is applicable to metal tileyas well as tile made of acousticalor insulating material such as gypsum or fiber glass. Moreover, inaseparate embodiment of theinvention which is to be thersubject matter of4 a companion application, the ports and valves are incorporatedin structure interposed between successive tiles.

I claim:

1-. In a building structure the combination with a plenum chamber to 'which air is delivered and which has a lower and generally horizontaly wallcomprised of many panels having their lower surfaces exposed to constitute a ceiling, each ofthe severalu panels being provided with air ow'slots elongated incorresponding directions, of a valve plate slidably supportedI on the upper surface of each sch lpanel andhaving portions movable between slotcovering and slot-exposing positions and having tongues depending in the said^slfots of'the ceiling panels and upon which said plates depend' for actuation and guidance from below the ceiling to effect plate movement between said positions, each plate having at least two tongues contined between the sidespf said elongatedslots, `and said ceiling constituting means for controlling and distributing air ilow from the plenum chamber.

2. The combination set forth in claim 1 in which thc said tongues comprise material of said, plate punched from the slots osaidpIatet 3. The device of claim l inuwhichthe slot o f the ceiling panel has downwardly converging side surfaces` to which the ends of saidtongues are closely fitted.

4. The ceiling` set forth in claim l in which each said valve plate has slotscorresponding in spacing and capacity to the slots of respective panels and registrable therewith, the. tongues being.integrally connected with the plate at the ends of respective slots.- and being no longer than the tlliicknessof-Athepanels, whereby tolie within respective s ots.

5. In a Ventilating ceiling, having` a plenum chamber through which air is delivered, a multiplicity of ceiling tiles',constitutingpthebottom Ofzsaidchamber and having theirgrlower surfacesv exposed to. constitute the ceiling, each such tile being providedrwith ,atleast two slots elongated in corresponding directions, and a valve plate bearing and supported on the top surface of said tile, said plate having valve portions movable between slot covering land slot exposing positions for the control of air flow, the said plate having depending operating and guiding means extending into the respective slots and in bearing engagement with side wall portions thereof and upon which the plate is wholly dependent for guidance in its movement between said positions.

6. The combination set forth in claim 5 in which the said slots of the panel have side wall portions which are downwardly convergent toward the lower ends of the said means and in close proximity to the means at the ends thereof whereby closely to confine said means for the substantially rectilinear movement of the valve plate between said positions.

7. The combination set forth in claim 5 in which the operating and guiding means aforesaid comprise tongues integral with the plates and of such length as to lie wholly within the thickness of the panel when the plate rests on the upper surface of the panel.

8. The combination set forth in claim 7 in which the ing of said tongues, the tongues being at corresponding ends of the said slots and the said slots being registrable with the slots of the panel in greater and lesser degree as the valve plate moves between said positions guided by said tongues as the tongues move in the slots of the panel.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,928,798 Skar Oct. 3, 1933 2,180,945 Morey Nov. 21, 1939 2,221,001 Lucius Nov. l2, 1940 2,251,663 Darbo Aug. 5, 1941 2,270,268 Chambers Jan. 20, 1942 2,537,315 Newton Jan. 9, 1951 2,585,666 McDowell Feb. 12, 1952 2,667,667 Jacobson Feb. 2, 1954 2,692,547 Ericson Oct. 26, 1954 FOREIGN PATENTS 377,634 Great Britain July 28, 1932 

